R. M. Ballantyne

“ Each had been trained to the use of the rifle and the
axe from infancy, and many of them had spent so much
of their lives in the woods that they were more than a
match for the Indian in his own peculiar pursuits of
hunting and war. When the squatters first issued from
the woods bordering the valley, an immense herd of
wild horses or mustangs were browsing on the plain.
These no sooner beheld the cavalcade of white men
than, uttering a wild neigh, they tossed their flowing
manes in the breeze and dashed away like a whirlwind. ”

“ There are islands, too--clumps
of trees and willow-bushes--which rise out of this
grassy ocean to break and relieve its uniformity; and
these vary in size and numbers as do the isles of ocean,
being numerous in some places, while in others they are
so scarce that the traveller does not meet one in a long
day's journey. Thousands of beautiful flowers decked
the greensward, and numbers of little birds hopped
about among them.
"Now, lads," said Joe Blunt, reining up, "our troubles
begin to-day."
"Our troubles?--our joys, you mean!" exclaimed
Dick Varley. ”

“ Dick Varley,
too, thought upon the Red-men, but his musings were
deeply tinged with the bright hues of a
first
adventure.
The mountains, the plains, the Indians, the bears, the
buffaloes, and a thousand other objects, danced wildly
before his mind's eye, and his blood careered through
his veins and flushed his forehead as he thought of
what he should see and do, and felt the elastic vigour
of youth respond in sympathy to the light spring of
his active little steed. ”

“ Moreover, it was uttered with a yell that would
have done credit to the fiercest of all the savages.
"Crusoe!" he shouted, while at the same moment he
brought his whip heavily down on the flank of his little
horse, and sprang over the prairie like an arrow.
One of the approaching horsemen was far ahead of
his comrades, and seemed as if encircled with the flying
and voluminous mane of his magnificent horse.
"Ha! ho!" gasped Marston in a low tone to himself,
as he flew along. "Crusoe! I'd know ye, dog,
among a thousand! A buffalo calf! Ha! git on with
ye!" ”

“ Crusoe turned his head a little to one side, wagged
his tail, and looked at Dick with an expression that
said quite plainly, "I'd die for you, I would--not
once, or twice, but ten times, fifty times if need be--and
that not merely to save your life, but even to
please you."
There is no doubt whatever that Crusoe felt something
of this sort. The love of a Newfoundland dog to
its master is beyond calculation or expression. He who
once gains such love carries the dog's life in his hand. ”

“ Indian camp which had been thus overrun by the wild
mustangs, the turmoil, as may be imagined, was prodigious!
Yet, strange to say, no accident of a serious
nature occurred beyond the loss of several chargers.
In the midst of this exciting scene there was one
heart which beat with a nervous vehemence that well-nigh
burst it. This was the heart of Dick Varley's
horse, Charlie. Well known to him was that distant
rumbling sound that floated on the night air into the
fur-traders' camp, where he was picketed close to
Cameron's tent. ”

“ Here dwell the Pawnees, the Sioux, the Delawarers,
the Crows, the Blackfeet, and many other tribes of Red
Indians, who are gradually retreating step by step towards
the Rocky Mountains as the advancing white
man cuts down their trees and ploughs up their prairies.
Here, too, dwell the wild horse and the wild ass, the
deer, the buffalo, and the badger; all, men and brutes
alike, wild as the power of untamed and ungovernable
passion can make them, and free as the wind that
sweeps over their mighty plains. ”

“ Vaulting upon his steed, with a large fan of wild
goose and turkey feathers in one hand, and a whip
dangling at the wrist of the other, this incomparable
dandy sallied forth for a promenade--that being his
chief delight when there was no buffalo hunting to be
done. Other men who were not dandies sharpened
their knives, smoked, feasted, and mended their spears
and arrows at such seasons of leisure, or played at
athletic games.
"Let's follow my buck," said Joe Blunt.
"Oui. Come 'long," replied Henri, striding after the
rider at a pace that almost compelled his comrades
to run. ”

“ Now Dick knew well
enough that to fly from a grizzly bear was the sure and
certain way of being torn to pieces, as when taken thus
by surprise they almost invariably follow a retreating
enemy. He also knew that if he stood where he was,
perfectly still, the bear would get uncomfortable under
his stare, and would retreat from him. But he neither
intended to run away himself nor to allow the bear to
do so; he intended to kill it, so he raised his rifle quickly,
"drew a bead," as the hunters express it, on the bear's
heart, and fired. ”

“ After this Dick had no further trouble with his wild
horse.
At his next camping-place, which was in the midst of
a cluster of bushes close beside a creek, Dick came unexpectedly
upon a little wooden cross which marked the
head of a grave. There was no inscription on it, but the
Christian symbol told that it was the grave of a white
man. It is impossible to describe the rush of mingled
feelings that filled the soul of the young hunter as he
leaned on the muzzle of his rifle and looked at this
solitary resting-place of one who, doubtless like himself,
had been a roving hunter. ”

“ There could
not have been fewer than fifty wolves round him; and
they had just concluded another of many futile attacks
when the hunters came up, for they were ranged in a
circle round their huge adversary--some lying down,
some sitting on their haunches to rest, and others sneaking
about, lolling out their red tongues and licking their
chops as if impatient to renew the combat. The poor
buffalo was nearly spent, and it was clear that a few
hours more would see him torn to shreds and his bones
picked clean.
"Ugh! de brutes," ejaculated Henri. ”

“ Not a man moved, for,
unlike white men, they seldom risk their lives in open
fight; and as they looked at the formidable row of
muzzles that waited but a word to send instant death
into their midst, they felt that discretion was at that
time the better part of valour.
"Now," said Cameron, while Dick Varley and Crusoe
stepped up beside him, "my young warrior will search
for the Pale-face prisoners. If they are found, we will
take them and go away. If they are not found, we
will ask the Peigans to forgive us, and will give them
gifts. ”

“ Joe cried again, "Back, Henri! back
vite
!" when
the mass
flowed over
and fell with a roar like prolonged
thunder. Henri sprang back in time to save his life,
though he was knocked down and almost stunned; but
poor Charlie was completely buried under the avalanche,
which now presented the appearance of a
hill
of snow.
The instant Henri recovered sufficiently, Joe and he
mounted their horses and galloped back to the camp as
fast as possible. ”

“ He repelled such tender feelings, however,
when they became too strong, deeming them unmanly,
and sought to turn his mind to the excitements of the
chase; but latterly his efforts were in vain. He became
thoroughly home-sick, and while admitting the fact to
himself, he endeavoured to conceal it from his comrades.
He thought that he was successful in this attempt. Poor
Dick Varley! as yet he was sadly ignorant of human
nature. Henri knew it, and Joe Blunt knew it. Even
Crusoe knew that something was wrong with his master,
although he could not exactly make out what it was. ”

“ But the brown horse was down. Dick did not wait
until the others had fled. He dropped his rifle, and
with the speed of a deer sprang towards the fallen
horse, and affixed the hobbles to his legs. His aim had
been true. Although scarcely half a minute elapsed
between the shot and the fixing of the hobbles, the
animal recovered, and with a frantic exertion rose on
his haunches, just as Dick had fastened the noose of
the short line in his under jaw. But this was not
enough. If the horse had gained his feet before the
longer line was placed round his neck, he would have
escaped. ”

“ Many of the dismounted riders were chased by
bulls; but they stepped lightly to one side, and, as the
animals passed, drove their arrows deep into their sides.
Thus the tumultuous war went on, amid thundering
tread, and yell, and bellow, till the green plain was
transformed into a sea of blood and mire, and every
buffalo of the herd was laid low.
It is not to be supposed that such reckless warfare
is invariably waged without damage to the savages. ”

“ To this there was no "Ho" at all, but a prolonged
silence, which was at length interrupted by a tall chief
stepping forward to address the trappers.
"What the Pale-face chief has said is good," began
the Indian. "His words are wise, and his heart is not
double. The Red-men are willing to smoke the pipe of
peace, and to hunt with all men as brothers, but they
cannot do it while many of their scalps are hanging in
the lodges of their enemies and fringing the robes of the
warriors. The Peigans must have vengeance; then they
will make peace." ”

“ No, the wild ass of the prairie is a
large powerful, swift creature. He has the same long
ears, it is true, and the same hideous, exasperating bray,
and the same tendency to flourish his heels; but for all
that he is a very fine animal, and often wages
successful
warfare with the wild horse.
But to return. The next drove of mustangs that
Dick and Crusoe saw were feeding quietly and unsuspectingly
in a rich green hollow in the plain. Dick's
heart leaped up as his eyes suddenly fell on them, for
he had almost discovered himself before he was aware
of their presence. ”

“ The cry seemed to revive Dick, for he moved, and
with some difficulty sat up, to the dog's evident relief.
There is no doubt whatever that Crusoe learned an
erroneous lesson that day, and was firmly convinced
thenceforth that the best cure for a fainting fit is a
melancholy yell. So easy is it for the wisest of dogs
as well as men to fall into gross error!
"Crusoe," said Dick, in a feeble voice, "dear good
pup, come here." ”

“ So Dick mounted his wild horse, grasped his rifle in
his right hand, and, followed by Crusoe, galloped full
tilt down the valley to meet them.
He had heard enough of the customs of savage tribes,
and had also of late experienced enough, to convince
him that when a man found himself in the midst of an
overwhelming force, his best policy was to assume an
air of confident courage. He therefore approached them
at his utmost speed. ”

“ Pee-eye-em had, in the energy of an enthusiastic peroration,
burst the blue surtout
almost
up to the collar, a
distant rushing sound was heard, which caused every
man to spring to his feet, run out of the tent, and seize
his weapons.
"What can it be, Joe?" whispered Dick as they stood
at the tent door leaning on their rifles, and listening
intently.
"Dun'no'," answered Joe shortly.
Most of the numerous fires of the camp had gone out,
but the bright moon revealed the dusky forms of thousands of Indians,
whom
the unwonted sound had startled,
moving rapidly about. ”

“ We have called him boy, but in truth he was
about that uncertain period of life when a youth is said
to be neither a man nor a boy. His face was good-looking
(
every
earnest, candid face is) and masculine;
his hair was reddish-brown and his eye bright-blue.
He was costumed in the deerskin cap, leggings, moccasins,
and leathern shirt common to the western hunter.
"You seem tickled wi' the Injuns, Dick Varley,"
said a man who at that moment issued from the blockhouse.
"That's just what I am, Joe Blunt," replied the
youth, turning with a broad grin to his companion. ”

“ And this arose not so much from
the superior strength or agility of the Whites over their
red foes, as from that bull-dog courage and utter recklessness
of their lives in combat--qualities which the
crafty savage can neither imitate nor understand. The
information was received with perfect indifference by
most of the trappers, and with contemptuous laughter
by some; for a large number of Cameron's men were
wild, evil-disposed fellows, who would have as gladly
taken the life of an Indian as that of a buffalo. ”

“ During
this period, Dick, and Crusoe, and Charlie had many
excursions together, and the silver rifle full many a time
sent death to the heart of bear, and elk, and buffalo;
while, indirectly, it sent joy to the heart of man,
woman, and child in camp, in the shape of juicy steaks
and marrow-bones. Joe and Henri devoted themselves
almost exclusively to trapping beaver, in which pursuit
they were so successful that they speedily became
wealthy men, according to backwood notions of wealth. ”

“ Once again this chief stood between the hunters and
the savages, who wanted but a signal to fall on them.
There was a long palaver, which ended in Henri being
set at liberty and the rifle being restored.
That evening, as the three friends sat beside their
fire eating their supper of boiled maize and buffalo meat,
they laughed and talked as carelessly as ever; but the
gaiety was assumed, for they were at the time planning
their escape from a tribe which, they foresaw, would
not long refrain from carrying out their wishes, and
robbing, perhaps murdering them. ”

“ He was up in a moment coughing
vociferously. Most men have a tendency to vent ill-humour
on some one, and they generally do it on one
whom they deem to be worse than themselves. Henri,
therefore, instead of growling at Joe for rousing him,
scolded Dick for not rising.
"Ha, mauvais dog! bad chien! vill you dare to look
to me?"
Crusoe did look with amiable placidity, as though to
say, "Howl away, old boy, I won't budge till Dick does."
With a mighty effort Giant Sleep was thrown off at
last, and the hunters were once more on their journey,
cantering lightly over the soft turf. ”